Xplore's Bobcat is a rugged Windows tablet with 10-hour battery life. It's a solid choice if you need a tough-as-nails tablet, as long as processing power isn't a priority.

A rugged Windows 8 slate, the Xplore Bobcat ($2,199) is a rough and tumble tablet that's not only armed to withstand the nastiest environments, it will also work harder thanks to a long-lasting battery and hot-swappable secondary cell that stretches total battery life to more than 10 hours. Combine this with a touch screen made for fingertips and gloves alike, two types of styli, and beefy protection against the elements, and it's a solid alternative to the Editors' Choice Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 when processing power isn't a primary concern.

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Design Past Windows tablets from Xplore have offered Intel Core processors, which require active cooling, with bulky fans. Thats the trend seen in the Getac F110 and the Editors' Choice Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1. However, the Bobcat uses an Intel Atom processor, which needs no cooling fan, for a slimmer overall profile. Measuring 0.86 by 11.05 by 7.07 inches (HWD) and weighing only 2.4 pounds, it means that the Bobcat is much slimmer and lighter than its chunky relative from the same company, the Xplore XC6. Like the larger XC6, the Bobcat tablet has a hefty built-in handle and full protection from the elements, but is otherwise notably more svelte.

The 10.1-inch display offers 1,366-by-768 resolution and 10-finger touch support that works with both fingertips and gloved hands. It's made for good visibility outdoors, with a 500-nit screen that's readable in direct sunlight. The biggest issue with the display is a faint watermark-like pattern that's visible when viewed from an angle. Included with our review unit were two different stylus types, one with a rubbery end, and the other with a tip made of soft wire mesh. Both offer the same basic functionality, but the wire-mesh tip should offer better precision in dusty and dirty environments where the screen might be coated in foreign material. These can be tethered to the unit with a coiled cable, and there is built-in storage for the styli on the chassis and in the attached handle.

The rugged design protects the tablet from everything from high and low temperatures, water (from light rain to a full dunking) and humidity, and blowing sand and dust. Tested to MIL-STD-810G specifications, it's also rated for extremes in altitude, and repeated drops from up to 5 feet. A magnesium alloy frame provides lightweight strength, and a stout ABS plastic exterior with chunky rubber bumpers at each corner shrugs off bumps and bangs. A locking cover protects ports, keeping out all manner of moisture and dirt when closed.

The tablet has an internal battery, but for greater flexibility in the field, there's also a second battery available ($189 direct) along with a separate mounting kit ($29 direct), which adds hours of usable charge to the tablet, and because it's hot swappable, you can buy a second one and switch it out without having to power down the device.

Features Behind one O-ring-sealed cover flap is a wired Ethernet port and power connector. Along one edge of the tablet, you'll find physical buttons for Power, Screen Rotation Lock, and Volume. The locking port cover protects several connectors, with a micro HDMI out, SIM card slot (for optional 4G LTE), a micro SD card slot, two USB 3.0 ports, and a headset jack. One small detail, however, cannot go unmentioned. Just above the micro HDMI port is a small on/off switch, which is actually a hardware switch for the internal battery—leave the switch turned off and the battery won't power the tablet or accept a charge. By default, the tablet arrives with the switch in the off position, and there was no mention of this in any of the device documentation we received with the Bobcat.

On the front of the tablet, in addition to the display, you'll find a physical Windows Button, an integrated 720p Webcam, dual microphones, and an ambient light sensor. On the back, there's a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. The Bobcat supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0, with integrated GPS and optional 4G LTE.

The cameras offer good, but not great, image quality. The rear-facing camera will do the trick for snapping images of objects and labels, but isn't something you'll use for shooting artistic landscapes. In our studio and outdoor photo tests, images were a little washed out in bright sunlight, and detail quality was reduced in low light. The front-facing camera will work with video conferencing services like Skype, Google Hangouts, or corporate alternatives like Lync and Jabber. The fixed-focus camera will do fine when held in front of your face, but the focus is easily lost, and the angle is determined entirely by how you hold the tablet.

Our review unit came with a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD). Preinstalled on the drive was Windows 8.1 Pro, but no unnecessary preinstalled software. The tablet also has several security features, ranging from a Kensington lock slot to an integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) and add-on options, such as a fingerprint scanner or CAC Reader. Xplore covers the Bobcat with a three-year warranty.

Performance The Bobcat is outfitted with an Intel Atom E3845 processor with 4GB of RAM, which will run Windows and provide enough processing oomph for basic processing tasks, though it may bog down under heavy multitasking. As an indicator of overall performance, the Xplore Bobcat finished PCMark 8 Work Conventional with a score of 1,183 points, took 12 minutes 56 seconds to complete a simple video conversion in Handbrake, and was unable to complete our Photoshop CS6 test. The graphics capabilities are also somewhat limited, with integrated Intel HD Graphics. While most of the other rugged Windows tablets boast Intel Core processors, not every use case demands that level of processing capability, and if you need something that will allow data collection in the field, or connected communications like video conferencing and instant messaging, the Bobcat is a viable option.

While the processing capability is fairly basic, battery life is superb, with the primary battery lasting 6 hours 7 minutes on a single charge, only a minute's difference from the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 (6:06). But the Bobcat takes this further, with a secondary optional battery adding nearly four hours of usable life, for a whopping 10:02, putting it well ahead of the single-battery leader, the Xplore XC6 Rugged Tablet (7:56). Add in the fact that the secondary battery on the Bobcat can be swapped out without even closing out your current programs, and the Bobcat offers the best longevity we've seen in a rugged tablet.

Conclusion The Xplore Bobcat is the sort of tablet you'll want when you need basic Windows functionality along with long battery life and rugged construction, but don't want or need something running an Intel Core processor. While the Bobcat is significantly more affordable than, say, the $5,000 Xplore XC6, it's still in the same price range as the Editors' Choice Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1. Given that the Panasonic offers better processing power, it hangs on to our Editors' Choice honors, but the Xplore Bobcat is a safe bet when you need long-lasting battery life rather than pure processing power.

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About the Author

Brian Westover is an Analyst for the Hardware Team, reviewing laptops, desktops, and storage devices.
As a child, Brian was frequently asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" His answer alternated between Superman and Batman. This was cute when he was five, but worrisome at seventeen. Naturally, he is now a journalist, writing about tec... See Full Bio

Xplore Bobcat

Xplore Bobcat

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